Pens defense continues to be amazing, shoulda been another shut out, Fleury is barely having to work - can't believe it's the same team - all the young guys are playing good and we are winning all the board battles. Good coaching move to get a defensive mind in there - even Malkin doesn't look as reckless with the puck

Pens defense continues to be amazing, shoulda been another shut out, Fleury is barely having to work - can't believe it's the same team - all the young guys are playing good and we are winning all the board battles. Good coaching move to get a defensive mind in there - even Malkin doesn't look as reckless with the puck

Well, the team was amazing in regular season last year.. until the playoffs began. Then it all crumbled. I know that it is still early, but I hope for Fleury's sake that he has his mental issues straightened out.

Well, the team was amazing in regular season last year.. until the playoffs began. Then it all crumbled. I know that it is still early, but I hope for Fleury's sake that he has his mental issues straightened out.

We'll worry about the playoffs when we get there. I just want to see Sid and Malkin make it through a full 82 games without any major injuries

Great game by the Pens tonight as they beat the Canes 5-2. They look more cohesive and solid all around than I've seen in a long time.

Maata (2 assists for his first NHL points) continues to impress. He's a very good player right now, but he's going to be really special in the future. Glass looks like a completely different player this year. So glad we kept him over Kennedy.

Jokinen had a monster game with a hat trick (1st, 3rd, and 5th goals). Other goals were from Martin (2nd) and Glass (4th). Fleury played very well again, making 32 saves on 34 shots.

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Look at these eyebrows. These are attack eyebrows! They could take off bottle caps!

PITTSBURGH -- Jussi Jokinen scored a hat trick against his former team to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Consol Energy Center.

Jokinen took 1:50 to re-establish the Penguins' lead after Nathan Gerbe scored 3:13 into the third period to tie the game 2-2. Jokinen received a pass from Evgeni Malkin near the left faceoff circle and wristed a shot past Cam Ward to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead with 14:57 to play.

Tanner Glass backhanded a shot past Ward with 11:32 remaining, and Jokinen scored the Penguins' fifth goal with 6:57 left, resulting in an abundance of hats spiraling from the seats and onto the ice. The Penguins have started the season 3-0-0 for the first time since 1994-95, when they won their first seven games.

Jokinen's first goal was Pittsburgh's first power-play goal of the season.

The Penguins' power play was the one area that struggled during the first two games. That continued early in the first period, when they failed to score on their first power play.

But on their second opportunity of the period, Sidney Crosby charged toward Carolina's net with the puck and Jokinen to his left. Crosby dumped the puck to Jokinen, who kicked it onto his stick before backhanding it past Ward, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead with 5:43 left.

Jokinen played five seasons for Carolina before he was traded to Pittsburgh last season.

Pittsburgh seemed to have scored a second goal 2:24 later when Crosby slid the puck into the Hurricanes crease from behind the net and Pascal Dupuis whacked the puck past Ward. But the play was reviewed and it was ruled Dupuis kicked the puck into the net.

While the crowd voiced its displeasure with the call, Tanner Glass and Harrison dropped their gloves immediately after the faceoff. Glass sent Harrison to the ice and left down the runway to an ovation.

Pittsburgh maintained its intensity early in the second period and dominated the action on both ends.

Paul Martin collected Brooks Orpik's slap shot off the end boards and backhanded a shot from one knee into Carolina's net to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead 1:04 into the second. It was Martin's first regular-season goal since the Penguins' 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals on March 19.

Carolina didn't record a second-period shot until 9:53 while on a power play. Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner combined for four shots in the next 14 seconds but failed to score.

Eric Staal cut Pittsburgh's lead to one when he dove to his stomach while deflecting Justin Faulk's slap shot into the upper-left corner of Pittsburgh's net with 6:36 left in the period.

Carolina outshot Pittsburgh 12-11 in the period but couldn't maintain that level of play in the third. The Penguins outshot the Hurricanes 36-34 overall.